[ad_1]
Content of the article
Coun. Joe Magliocca, who is currently running for re-election in Hall 2, has been charged with fraud and breach of trust following an investigation by the RCMP.
Content of the article
Magliocca’s expenses have been the subject of a police investigation since last August, after Postmedia reported on irregularities in the councilor’s spending led to an independent forensic audit, the results of which led to the council of the city to refer the matter to the police.
In all, the councilor was found to have improperly spent more than $ 9,000 over the current term, including ineligible flight updates and hosting costs for meals and drinks with people who say they never met him. In a 2018 incident, Magliocca paid the city a visit to a hotel to attend meetings that auditors could not determine had ever taken place.
Magliocca reimbursed the ineligible costs, but he largely refused to explain what happened, saying only that he never intended to make “mistakes” in pursuing the policies of the council costs.
Content of the article
In a brief exchange with reporters during a break at the last term council meeting, Magliocca claimed he was “framed”, but said he would not be able to tell his side of the story until the RCMP investigation is over. ready.
An RCMP statement on Friday says the Alberta RCMP federal unit and serious organized crime and financial crimes have conducted a “complex investigation” into the matter.
Magliocca faces one count each of breach of trust and fraud under $ 5,000.
He is due to appear in court on October 15 – just three days before the municipal vote. The current Ward 2 councilor announced his bid for re-election last month, just days before the deadline to submit nomination papers.
In July 2020, the city council approved several sanctions against Magliocca: he was publicly reprimanded, ordered to take on additional cost training and banned from spending business travel for the remainder of his term. He was also told to issue a public apology, which he did not – however, apologize in council chambers earlier that year, before the full scope of his cost discrepancies was revealed.
The Council also referred the investigation to Alberta’s municipal affairs minister – no one on the city council, including the mayor, has the power to remove an elected councilor from their position, but the minister may. At the time, former municipal affairs minister Kaycee Madu said he would not step in, and that council should focus on setting its own internal spending rules.
More following …
Twitter: @meksmith
[ad_2]
Source link
